Women 21% Less Likely to Die from Cancer, Study Finds
16 Mar 2026
The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, looked at 20,806 participants from 39 clinical trials conducted between 2011 and 2021. These trials evaluated treatments later approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Researchers found that women had a 21% lower risk of death and a 16% lower risk of disease progression compared to men. However, women were 12% more likely to experience serious side effects from treatment.
Lead author Dr Natansh Modi said the study highlights the importance of biological sex in cancer care. “Sex affects immune function, drug metabolism, body composition, and tumour biology,” he said. “Despite recommendations to report outcomes by sex, it is often overlooked in clinical trials and rarely used to guide treatment decisions.”
Associate Professor Magdalena Simonis, a Melbourne GP and primary care researcher at the University of Melbourne, called the results “really significant.” She noted that while women’s higher survival is important, it also points to a lack of research on men’s outcomes, meaning men may be disadvantaged due to limited sex-based studies.
She added it is too early to use biological sex as a prognostic factor in oncology, but emphasised the need for more sex-differentiated research and clinical trials.
The study found these trends were generally consistent across 11 types of advanced solid tumours, although some cancer types showed uncertainty. The researchers caution that while sex appears to influence survival, results may vary for individual patients.
“The consistently poorer prognosis among men highlights the need to explore biological, behavioural, sociological, and treatment-related factors driving this disparity,” the study concluded.
Associate Professor Simonis said the findings are promising and could encourage more research into sex-based differences in cancer outcomes.
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Source: Adelaide University, Journal of the National Cancer Institute